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Race tech: Uphill time trial inspires unique bikes

Road/aero hybrids at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge

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Christian Vande Velde was one of three Garmin-Cervélo riders on a trick road/time trial hybrid setup. According to team mechanic Geoff Brown, this arrangement provided nearly the same position as on his time trial bike but an unusually light sub-7kg weight that was perfect for the run up Vail Pass

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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It's not often you'll see a disc rear wheel on a Cervélo R5ca but that's just what the Garmin-Cervélo team did for stage 3 time trial up Vail Pass

A 27-tooth rear cog on Christian Vande Velde's (Garmin-Cervélo) Cervélo R5ca was on tap for the climb up Vail Pass

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Cervélo) had his usual Cervélo R5ca set up with clip-on aero bars as a spare machine

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Christian Vande Velde's (Garmin-Cervélo) spare bike was another R5ca but with a milder hybrid setup

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervélo) also had his own trick road/time trial hybrid setup

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Cervélo) had his Cervélo S5 set up with clip-on aero bars as a spare machine for the Vail time trial. He used his usual stars-and-stripes Cervélo P4 during the race

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Cervélo) opted for a 28-tooth large cog on his spare Cervélo S5 setup

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Cervélo's new S5 borrows many of its aero features from the full-blown P4 time trial bike so depending on the setup, the frame probably doesn't generate much more drag

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Bissell riders stuck with their usual Pinarello Graals for the uphill time trial

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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This Bissell rider used a rather standard cassette spread for the run up Vail Pass. Note the SRAM chain on the otherwise Campagnolo drivetrain

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Bissell team mechanics were keeping a close eye on the weather given Colorado's notoriously unpredictable afternoon conditions. Disc wheels were fitted earlier in the day but deep-section rears were on hand just in case

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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BMC ran a mix of full-blown time trial and hybrid road/time trial setups for the stage 3 time trial up Vail Pass

The EPM-UNE team out of Columbia clearly weren't as well equipped as most of their rivals - note not only the non-matching bikes but also the different brands of bikes - but team rider Rafael Infantino put in a very impressive third-place finish nonetheless

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Team Exergy used their Felt B2 aero bikes for the Vail time trial

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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A generous helping of electrical tape helps keep the cables tightly together and out of the way of the wind on this Team Exergy Felt B2

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Exergy team mechanics were busy swapping riders' pedals from their road bikes to their TT rigs the morning of the Vail stage

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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HTC-Highroad riders set out on their usual Specialized S-Works Shiv aero machines for the Vail time trial

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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A small strip of electrical tape seals up the gap up front on this HTC-Highroad Specialized S-Works Shiv

Yesterday's USA Pro Cycling Challenge stage 3 time trial wasn't your average race against the clock. Though the course climbed a significant 530m (1,738ft) over its 16.1km (10.0mi) length, the first half was only mildly uphill and many riders were treated to a healthy tailwind – making it neither a blisteringly fast individual effort nor a pure hill climb. Not surprisingly then, many of the bikes used were novel hybrids tailored specifically to the day.

One of the most creative machines was Christian Vande Velde's Garmin-Cervélo rig. Built around Cervélo's ultralight R5ca frame – a roughly 700g featherweight normally reserved for big mountain stages – team mechanics dressed it up in full aero gear, including a disc rear wheel, deep-section front wheel and integrated aero bars mounted on an adjustable stem. According to team sports scientist Robbie Ketchell, Vande Velde's position was nearly identical to that of his full-blown P4 time trial rig.

Given the nominal gains offered by even the best aero frames, the trick setup likely represented only a slight increase in drag. More importantly, though, the ultralight chassis yielded a final package that was unusually light for a time trial bike – a key performance advantage for the second half of the course. According to team mechanic Geoff Brown, Vande Velde's aero-dressed R5ca was well under 7kg (15.4lb).

Tom danielson (garmin-cervélo) also had his own trick road/time trial hybrid setup: tom danielson (garmin-cervélo) also had his own trick road/time trial hybrid setup

Many teams stuck to their standard time trial bikes, preferring to just tweak the setups with slightly taller bar heights and/or larger rear cassettes to better handle the climb. But road/time trial hybrids like Garmin-Cervélo's machines were definitely present en masse – just in more mild incarnations that typically involved a set of aero clip-ons and deep section, or disc, wheels.

One thing we were surprised not to see, however, were Shimano Dura-Ace Di2-equipped teams taking advantage of the group's plug-and-play satellite bar end shifters. While we haven't tried the combination ourselves, mechanics should have been able to add clip-on bars to the riders' road bikes and add a very useful set of shifters out on the ends of the extensions to save a few valuable sections on the faster lower section of the course.

At least in theory, skil-shimano team mechanics could have added bar end shifters to this hybrid setup: at least in theory, skil-shimano team mechanics could have added bar end shifters to this hybrid setup

At least in theory, Skil-Shimano team mechanics could have added bar end shifters to this hybrid setup

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James started as a roadie in 1990 with his high school team but switched to dirt in 1994 and has enjoyed both ever since. Anything that comes through his hands is bound to be taken apart, and those hands still sometimes smell like fork oil even though he retired from shop life in 2007. He prefers manual over automatic, fizzy over still, and the right way over the easy way.

Discipline: Mountain, road, cyclocross

Preferred Terrain: Up in the Colorado high-country where the singletrack is still single, the dirt is still brown, and the aspens are in full bloom. Also, those perfect stretches of pavement where the road snakes across the mountainside like an artist's paintbrush.